


I'll do better

by Behold_Trashy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji & Kozume Kenma Friendship, Akaashi Keiji Needs a Hug, Akaashi Keiji is Bad at Feelings, Akaashi Keiji-centric, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Bokuto Koutarou & Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Confessions, Cute, Cutesy, Derogatory Language, Dorks in Love, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Ferrets, First Crush, First Dates, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Gentle Kissing, Girls Kissing, How Do I Tag, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm Sorry, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kissing, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, Neck Kissing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Poor Akaashi Keiji, Sad Akaashi Keiji, Slurs, Swearing, Their Love Is So, Wow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25387393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Behold_Trashy/pseuds/Behold_Trashy
Summary: 'Akaashi Keiji gently stroked the chin of his champagne white ferret, hearing a small noise indicating that the ferret enjoyed the attention. It seemed as if it was forever since, but he smiled a tiny, genuine smile.OrAkaashi Keiji may seem to have everything going for him just by looking at him.But the truth is. . .He doesn't.Long story short- he's moved into an orphanage, got a ferret emotional support animal and will be transferring to Fukurodani soon as a second year, a month and a half into the school year.But what'll happen when a loud, owl-looking senpai finds him crying in a bathroom stall past the end of the school day? Not to mention it was also Akaashi's first day there as well.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Anahori Shuuichi/Onaga Wataru, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kindaichi Yuutarou/Kunimi Akira, Kinoshita Hisashi/Narita Kazuhito, Komi Haruki/Konoha Akinori, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Kyoutani Kentarou/Yahaba Shigeru, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Shirofuku Yukie/Suzumeda Kaori, Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Tanaka Saeko/Tsukishima Akiteru, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 33
Kudos: 94





	1. 'One word to say and that's fuck.'

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this gets good feedback?
> 
> Im honestly a little nervous, and I'm writing this fanfic to get better on my writing skills, hehe.
> 
> If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please alert me in the comments! I only read over every chapter once when editing and I could have looked over a few mistakes.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first chapter :))

Akaashi Keiji gently stroked the chin of his champagne white ferret, hearing a small noise indicating that the ferret enjoyed the attention. It seemed as if it was forever since, but he smiled a tiny, genuine smile. "Alright, Oliver, let's go ask if we can take a walk in the nearby park today, yeah? We have to calm ourselves down and relax because tomorrow's a big day. New school, new teachers, new classmates, kouhais, senpais- you know the big gist." Keiji hummed, sticking out his right hand with his palm facing upwards for the ferret. The ferret let out some sort of squeak and crawled up Keiji's arm and positioned itself firmly on his right shoulder. "Alright, let's go ask now." The blue-eyed beauty whispered quietly, sitting up from the bed of his.

Akaashi lived in a relatively good orphanage. The orphanage was separate between children who were 12 and below and teenagers who were 13-17. Once someone has turned eighteen, they're expected to find a home to move into with the maximum of a week so the orphanage isn't clogged up. The orphanage was called "Sunshine Bay". Kind of a childish name, but they all bore with it. Not like they can change it themselves, anyway.

Keiji shared a room with three other teenage boys who were around his age. Two 16-year-olds and one 17-year old. The room wasn't that big, but it had enough room for two bunk beds, a drawer, and walking space. The drawer in particular had four drawers, one for each boy to keep their clothes in and other items they so chose. Luckily for Keiji, he wasn't stuck with snoopy roommates who would try looking through his things. Because he has an emotional support animal, the orphanage allowed him to have a cage on top of the drawer for the ferret, but he was completely responsible for it. His roommates were nice and would alert him if the food/water was running low, or even refill it themselves since Akaashi left the bag of food and bedding under his bed. Akaashi always thanked them for refilling the food/water or alerting him that it was low but he always changed the bedding himself, he didn't want to burden his roommates anymore than them having to alert him on his own animals' needs.

His mattress creaked quietly as he got up from the bed, one hand on Oliver, the ferret, to keep him from accidentally falling. His roommates were currently at school, but since he was transferring to a new school, and his information had to be fully registered and put in, his first day there was tomorrow.

Akaashi made his way out of the room, flicking off the light switch before he fully went out and closed the door behind him. The ferret on his shoulder chittered with excitement, always like that when he rode on the teenagers' shoulders or even head. Keiji made his way to the headmaster's office, assuming that the woman would be there, and knocked two times on the door before waiting patiently. He heard a faint, "come in" and turned the door handle.

"Good afternoon, headmaster Tachibana-San, how was your day?" He greeted once he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Good afternoon to you as well, Akaashi-Kun. My day has been, well, neutral so far. Nothing bad has happened yet, so that's good, thank you for asking." The woman nodded, taking a thin stack of papers and setting it in her desk drawer. "What is it you came here for, Akaashi-Kun? Do you need anything?" The middle-aged woman raised her brow, patiently waiting for Keiji's response.

"I was just going to ask if it was alright if I took a stroll in the nearby park. I wanted to relax a bit before tomorrow. I won't stay there long, I'll be back for dinner at 6." Akaashi asked, twiddling with his fingers nervously. He didn't have any real reason to be nervous, but I guess his brain just felt like he needed to have his nerves spike up a little.

"Hmmm. . . Alright. You can have a walk through the park, but you have to be back in time for dinner. I'll be checking up on you every half hour, because there could be pedophiles or people with malicious intent around, alright?" The woman nodded in content when she saw Akaashi nod.

"Okay. You may go now. Make sure you have your inhaler, you never know when it's needed." She said before Keiji walked out of the room.

"Let's go back to our room, Oliver, I need to put on some reasonable outdoor clothing. I'll put you in a turtleneck of yours, too, if you want to." The black-haired boy smiled slightly, heading back through the halls to his shared room.

Once inside, he pulled out a pair of black boots from under his bed- which was a bottom bunk- and set them aside for him to put on when he finished changing. Keiji carefully grabbed Oliver from his shoulder and sat him on his pillow so he could take out a shirt and pants to change into. Akaashi opened his drawer, the second one, and looked through it for a short while before deciding what to wear. He didn't want to look too formal, but he also didn't want to look too sloppy, if that could be used as the right word. He took out a white t-shirt, ripped black jeans, and a light brown, wool cardigan.

Akaashi quickly changed into the outfit, putting the clothes he previously wore into a small hamper he kept under his bed for his dirty clothes. After that, he turned to Oliver who was now trying to hide under a pillow but failing miserably. "Oh, little Oli, let's go put you in a turtleneck." The teenager murmured, opening his drawer to take out one of the three turtlenecks he owned for the critter. The three ferret sized turtlenecks were white, light blue, and light peach, but he chose the white one for the ferret to wear today. "C'mon, Oli, time to dress you up." He hummed quietly, crouching beside his bed to be able to dress the ferret easier.

It took a minute, but the ferret was now happily perched on Akaashi's shoulder sporting a white turtleneck. Keiji smiled softly as he put his black boots on, tieing the also black laces neatly. The boy reached under his bed and took out a rectangular bag. Inside, the bag held containers for food and water and some small toys for the ferret for whenever he traveled, whether it be walking, car rides, bus rides or even train rides. He took out a white container with a red stripe and filled it halfway with some of the ferrets food, closing it up tightly before setting it back in the bag. Keiji grabbed a small pouch filled with the ferrets favorite treats and carefully set it in the bag aswell.

"C'mon, Oliver, let's go fill your water container." Keiji whispered, hoisting the bag over his head so that it slung across his chest with the actual bag part of it at the right side of his waist. He gave Oliver a small pat on the head before turning the lights off and closing the door behind him as he stepped into the hallway. From there he maneuvered through the stairs and hallways to the kitchen, opening the bag of his and taking out a white container with a blue stripe. He opened it up and filled it halfway with cold water from the sink before closing it tightly and replacing it back inside the bag.

"Time to go, Oliver." Keiji muttered, now heading towards the front door. He opened the door to reveal a few of the teenagers and children alike, who all stared at him. _'Oh, I guess school's over for them.'_ He thought to himself, backing up so the others could come in and change out of their uniforms in their assigned rooms. Keiji quietly greeted them all who quietly responded or gave him a small nod of acknowledgment. The children were louder, and they all greeted Oliver before greeting Akaashi himself.

"Where are you going, Akaashi-san?" One of the younger teenagers asked, with a slightly confused expression worn on their round face. "A walk through the park, Asami-chan. I'll be back by dinner, you can tell the others that." He responded, giving the girl a small smile before leaving out the door.

Akaashi walked down the small flight of concrete stairs quickly and walked down the small pathway to the gate. He unlocked the hatch and made his way onto the sidewalk, closing the gate behind him. At that, he turned to his right, towards the park. On his way he saw a few of the other children and teenagers coming back from their schools and he gave them little waves and even let some of the children pet Oliver who chittered at the attention. He walked another block towards the park, having received a few weird looks because of his ferret and other looks of admiration because of his beauty. He ignored those, but his heart slightly swelled when he saw a little kid gasp at the sight of Oliver and shake their parents or older siblings arm and point at the ferret in excitement. He always loved kids.

Oliver nipped Akaashi's ear gently, making the boy stop in surprise. The ferret squeaked and crawled down his arm and onto the bag, and Keiji's blue eyes followed. "Oh? Are you hungry already? I guess the last time I fed you was a few hours into the morning or so." He murmured, picking up Oliver with his left hand while he opened the bag with his right. The critter chirped happily and wiggled out of his grasp, crawling over his shoulder and head to get to the arm that was now taking out the food container. Akaashi let out a small chuckle because his hair was now slightly messed up due to the ferret crawling over his head.

Oliver kept chirping and squealing in excitement for the food, wiggling around like some sort of dance on his bicep and shoulder. "Calm down, Oliver." The blue-eyed male hummed, stepping foot in the grassy field of the park. This park was quite huge. Many people came here to have picnics and parties or to walk their dogs or go for a run, so there was always someone around unless the weather was bad. Keiji opened the food container as he made his way to the nearest bench, letting the ferret eat as he walked. The nearest bench was 15 feet or so into the park, being placed next to the pebble walk way that went through said park. Akaashi heard a few barks from dogs and birds tweeting and chirping as he walked, setting himself on the bench when he got there.

He carefully placed the container onto the bench next to him and Oliver followed, eating a small bunch of the food pellets. While Oliver ate, Keiji opened his bag once more and took out the pouch with the ferret treats, taking out one before setting it back in the bag. "Oliver, time for your treat." He cooed with a slightly higher pitched voice as he placed the small treat next to the ferret. The ferret squealed and immediately grabbed the treat and bit it, taking it's time to eat. Keiji smiled at that and closed the food pellet container and placed it back into it's rightful place in his rectangular bag.

Oliver crawled onto Akaashi's lap when it finished its treat, nuzzling the boys hand. "Oh? Do you want attention now?" He smiled gently down at the champagne white ferret who just bit his pinky in a playful manner. "Okay, okay. You want to play, right? I have a blanket and toys, let me put it out." He whispered, taking out a small, folded up blanket from a pouch on the bags side, standing up to set it on the grass. The ferret just bobbed its head up and down on the benches back support as it watched Keiji unfold and set the blanket down. Once completely flattened out, the ferret chirped and quickly climbed down, catering to the blanket and waited for it's toys to be brought out.

Akaashi liked the park. Oliver liked the park. They both liked the park because that was how they bonded when they were first brought together. The ferret was a bit hesitant at first but quickly got attached to the stoic teenager because of how gentle he was and how his petting and scratching were nice. The two played and relaxed in the park and sometimes played hide and seek because the ferret knew when the teenager gave up and would pop up out of no where and crawl up his leg and arm to chitter happily into his ear.

The teenager opened the bag up and took out the ferrets toys that were in there, setting them out on the blanket so the ferret can pick and choose. The ferret chose this toy attached to a metal stick by string to play with and Akaashi smiled a bit wider. He grabbed the toy by it's handle and shook the toy in the air above Oliver who chittered excitedly and jumped and stood to try to catch the toy. It was all fun and games until a boxer dog came running and barked at Oliver who squeaked and ran away from the dog which made the dog chase and bark louder, if that's possible.

"Shit!" Akaashi yelped when the dog ran over his lap to chase the ferret. "Shit, shit, shit!" He panicked, collecting all the toys back into the bag, closing it up before grabbing the blanket and running after the dog who was a good 30 feet away now, barking at the tree that Oliver ran up.

A body around his age was there at the tree now, trying to get the dog away. Akaashi assumed it was his dog, but the dog kept barking at the tree. Keiji saw his ferret on a tree branch and relief flooded his senses.

"Oliver!" He yelled out, stopping next to the other teenager, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "Wait, that's your weasel?" The boy asked, pointing at the critter in the tree. Akaashi held up his finger and opened his bag, fumbling to get his inhaler out. He didn't really need it that much nowadays, but whenever he panicked badly, he'd need it. And running didn't help him at all with that. He inhaled two puffs and put the blue inhaler back in his bag, resting his right hand over his heart as he calmed down.

He turned to the boy and looked straight in his eyes and responded, "Oliver is a ferret." He pointed up at the ferret who was still in the tree with the dog barking up at it. "Call off your dog, please, I nearly had a panic attack because I thought he was dead." He deadpanned, looking as stoic as ever. The other teenager nodded, reaching inside his mostly white jacket to reveal a tennis ball, putting it into the dogs view.

"C'mon, girly! Go get the ball, Gingy!" He exclaimed in a slightly higher pitched voice, throwing the ball far when he knew the dog paid attention to it. The dog, Gingy, scampered off to receive the ball for her owner, barking as she ran. Akaashi quietly thanked the stranger and raised his arm out for the ferret to come down.

"It's okay, Oli, the dogs gone now." He murmured, smiling slightly when the ferret immediately climbed down to his hand, crawling around his body and placed itself on Keiji's head, messing up his hair even further. "Aw, what a cute ferret!" The male smiled, cooing at the critter. The stranger paused and backed up a little. "Oh, right, let me introduce myself. My names Konoha Akinori, and you are?" He smiled, sticking his hand out for a handshake. Akaashi hesitated before taking Konoha's hand in his and giving it a small, firm shake before letting go. "Akaashi Keiji." He responded in a tone that seemed almost monotonous. "I must be go-" "Konoha!" A voice interrupted, making the two look to the side to see another teenager around their age with Gingy on a leash beside them with the tennis ball in her mouth.

"Oh, hey, Komi! Did she pounce on you? You're her favorite out of the whole team." Konoha chuckled, high-fiving the other male. "Yeah, she did. Who's this?" He asked gesturing towards Akaashi? "Oh, this is Akaashi. His ferret thing was chased by Gingy and climbed up the tree." Konoha said, pointing at the ferret atop of Akaashi's head. "Oo~ your ferret looks pretty! Does it have a name?" Komi asked, stepping a little closer to look at Oliver better. "His name is Oliver, Komi-San." Keiji nodded a little.

"As I was saying, I must be-" "Hey Konoha! Komi!" Another voice interrupted this time, making the three look over to the voice. "Yukie-Chan!" Komi and Konoha exclaimed at the same time. And for some reason, it was at that moment Akaashi realized what they were wearing. The two boys wore Fukurodani's volleyball club jackets and sweatpants while the girl wore normal sweatpants and a Fukurodani t-shirt.

_'Well shit.'_

"Who's th- Hot damn he's gorgeous. Even with the ferret. . ." Yukie marveled, mouth slightly agape because, wow, Akaashi really is pretty as fuck he'll leave you speechless. "Aw, c'mon Yukie-Chan! We're pretty, too!" Konoha whined, leaning himself on one of Yukie's shoulder while Komi was on her other. "Yeah, Yukie-chan, you're so meeann." Komi whined as well.

"Get off me! And I told you two to stop calling me Yukie-chan! Drop the -chan or else I will literally kick you both in the balls!" She growled irritably, shoving them both off. Unbeknownst to her, Akaashi's face was dusted a light shade of pink. Yeah, he knew people looked at him because he was attractive, but they never said it aloud for him to hear.

"Hi! My name's Shirofuko Yukie! What's yours?" She asked politely, giving him a smile. ". . . Akaashi Keiji. . ." he responded. "Nice! What school do you go to, if I may ask? I don't think I've seen you around." She again asked politely, flashing him a comforting smile to indicate that he didn't really have to answer if he didn't want to.

_'One word to say and that's fuck.'_

"Oh, well, I'm transferring to a new high school tomorrow. I live in the 'Sunshine Bay' orphanage." He responded, his face now without the light blush. When he said he lived in an orphange they all flinched. He took notice. "Oh, please, don't pity me. There's no reason for that. After all, my parents aren't deceased. They just lost their custody." The way he said the last two sentences made the three shiver. His voice and expression was cold and they saw a flash of pain in his eyes before he smiled that little warm smile at them which made them feel even worse. Komi laughed awkwardly, earning a quick jab to the side by Yukie and a light smack to the back of the head by Konoha.

"As I was saying before being interrupted two times, I must be going. Dinners at six." He gave them a nod, about to turn to leave before one of them spoke up. "But it's 3:30-" it was Konoha, his face showed his confusion clearly. Akaashi wanted to laugh.

"The near panic attack of thinking your dog killed my emotional support animal kinda stressed me out badly." He deadpanned making the other boy flinch and embarrassingly look away. "Speaking of the time, I should be getting a call right about-" Akaashi's phone rang at that moment and he sighed quietly, taking his phone out of his bag. He looked at the caller ID and answered the call, bringing it up to his ear.

"Hello, headmaster Tachibana-san. . . yes, i'm fine. . . No, there isn't any pedophiles around whatsoever. . . you're too worked up about this. . . I'm coming back now- no, I'm fine, nothing happened. . ." he glanced at the trio and at the dog before looking back at the ground. He nodded a few times to what the woman on the phone had to say before saying a quick 'bye Tachibana-san' and hung up.

"So, uh, I'll be leaving now. Goodbye Konoha-san, Komi-san and Shirofuko-san." He gave them a quick bow before turning on his heel and heading out the park and back to the orphanage. He sighed, reaching his hand up to Oliver to give him a few pats on the head and scratches on the chin. "They're either going to be my new classmates, kouhais or senpais. . ." he murmured to himself, hoping nothing bad will happen on his first day tomorrow. It should be fine, right? No need to worry. It could either go surprisingly decent or something bad could happen.

Oh well.

He'll just have to wait and see.


	2. 'Just tell them I'm gay'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, Akaashi woke up with a start.
> 
> He felt something in his chest weigh him down and he feels as if this thing was dread. Yeah, he wanted to change schools, heck, he even asked if he could, but it's still always so weird and uncomfortable knowing you're going to be having your first day at a new school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still nervous about this, it's my first ao3 fanfic, heh.
> 
> Im always up for any constructive criticism if you have any! But be careful with wording, I can get defensive if I interpret the wording into something rude. ^^`
> 
> Again, I hope you enjoy it!! (. ' ᵜ ' .)

Well, Akaashi woke up with a start.

He felt something in his chest weigh him down and he feels as if this thing was dread. Yeah, he wanted to change schools, heck, he even asked if he could, but it's still always so weird and uncomfortable knowing you're going to be having your first day at a new school. God- all he wished was that everything would go well. Hopefully, no one would try hurting or grabbing Oliver like before, which was a reason he transferred, and for other reasons as well.

Akaashi shook his head and took a few deep breathes before getting up to grab his Fukurodani uniform from his drawer. 'It's going to be fine. I'll be fine. Oliver will be there with me.' He repeated in his mind, trying to calm his nerves that were surely rising up.

His roommates were up and about as well, and only one of them was also going to Fukurodani.

"Hey, Akaashi-san, do you want me to show you around the school before classes start? If you have your schedule, I can show you where each class is." One smiled lightly at Akaashi who gave him a small smile back. "That would be helpful, thank you, Kurosawa-Kun." He nodded, opening up Oliver's medium-sized cage. "I'm going to let Oliver roam around to stretch his legs and body." He said out loud for his three roommates to hear, who all nodded.

Oliver immediately crawled onto Keiji's arm and scampered around, even making the others chuckle and giggle at his antics. 

All four teenagers turned their backs to each other as they changed into their school uniforms, all feeling awkward about changing in close proximity. It took a while but Akaashi ended up helping the two younger ones with their ties since they either forgot how or their tie was crooked. The two bowed and thanked him and he just pats their heads. "You're welcome."

Akaashi grabbed the rectangular travel bag from under his bed and took out the food container. "Yeah, I don't think you'll be allowed to take that whole bag, Akaashi-san, so I think it'll be better if you use one container and take a few toys. You can use the container's lid as a water bowl and carry around a water bottle." The 16-year-old new kouhai of Keiji's spoke up, kneeling down to get a few small toys out from the bag.  
"I guess you're right. It'll be a hassle to carry my school bag and this bag at the same time. Thank you for the suggestion, Kurosawa-kun." He thanked his new kouhai and looked through his drawer real quick before taking out the light blue, ferret-sized turtleneck and looked back to his own bed to see Kurosawa playing with Oliver. He smiled a bit at the scene.

"Can you put this on Oliver? I need to make sure I have everything I'll need in my school bag." He laid the ferret's turtleneck on his bed, watching as the younger took it and smiled brightly at him. "Okay! You'll be matching, cuz it's blue!" He chuckled, petting the ferret before trying to put the clothing on him.

Akaashi grabbed the food container and saw that it still had some food pellets from yesterday and put in some more to the point that he believed would last the whole school day. He grabbed the pouch of ferret treats and put it in the pocket of his grey blazer that he was currently wearing, nudging the travel bag under his bed with his foot. The older Fukurodani student sat on his bed and put on some black shoes that were part of the school uniform.

\---

Short time skip because I'm impatient. (つ﹏<。)

\---

Akaashi arrived at the school's gate with Kurosawa by his side. They were earlier than most other students so Kurosawa can show Akaashi around before classes start as he had offered. The few students who were already there seemed to stare at him because they didn't recognize him, because of Oliver or because of his attractiveness. That last one was mainly towards the girls, but he did catch a guy or two staring at him with slightly flushed cheeks.

The two made their way to the principal's office to pick up Akaashi's schedule, the schedule he shared with his class. Kurosawa was only a first-year but seemed to know where each classroom was.

"Your homeroom class is 2-C, Akaashi-Senpai, it's more down this hall." The younger nodded to himself, pointing down the hall. It seemed, Akaashi noticed, that Kurosawa has started calling him senpai since they walked in the school. Well, it was probably because he was officially now his upperclassmen. It took another 15 minutes or so for them to go to all the classes in his schedule. His kouhai led him to his own homeroom class, seeing quite a lot more students roaming the halls as it neared the time for classes to start.

"This is my class, Senpai! If you need me I'll be here in 1-B. I'll tell you my schedule later today so you'll know where else to find me at different hours." The shorter smiled, giving Akaashi a small pat on the arm. Akaashi nodded, carefully handing a pretty sleepy ferret to him. "You can pet him some more before I leave." He explained when the younger raised an eyebrow who now nodded. "He's cuter when he's half asleep. . ." the younger noted, making the older nod.

"I should get going to class. I'm going to let Oliver sleep some more." He hummed, carefully taking his ferret back from the younger. Kurosawa pulled Akaashi down a little to whisper in his ear, "You should get going before some girls start to catch feelings." He whispered hurriedly, now trying to shoo him away. Akaashi simply flashed him a small smile and in his peripheral vision, he saw a few girls swoon.

"Alright, Kurosawa-kun. I know when I'm not wanted." He lightly teased, chuckling quietly when he saw the boy's mouth slightly agape. "That's not what I meant and you know it, Senpai!" He whined a bit, huffing and turning away. The two said some quick 'goodbyes' and separated. He was sure his kouhai was being bombarded with questions right about now. Probably a lot from the girls.

Akaashi made his way to his homeroom class, mentally thanking Kurosawa for the little tour. Once he stepped in he was greeted by abrupt silence and stares. His stoic expression seemed to show little to no emotion, but inside his nerves and anxiety started to slowly build up. In an attempt to calm himself, he stroked Oliver's soft head, making the ferret even more sleepy and eventually falling asleep. His teacher made a noise of acknowledgment, getting up to greet him.

"Ah, you must be Akaashi-kun! It's great to have you. Take any of the empty seats." The woman smiled, giving him a small nudge on the back to make him step forward. A seat at the back caught his eye and he headed there. It was by a window, so if needed, he could let Oliver sit and play on the windowsill while he worked. But since the ferret was asleep as of now, he gently rested the critter onto the desk, flipping his backpack to take out a square piece of cloth the size of a rag, placing it over the ferret. He felt all eyes burning against his skin, choosing to ignore the stares as he placed his school bag on the floor beside him.

It took a few moments before the class actually started and then ended and then a new class to go to. By his third class, Oliver was wide awake, making a few chirping noises when he saw all the new faces. A lot of them found it weird that he had a ferret climbing around his body since it was never explained. Akaashi ended up taking out a toy for the ferret to keep it from trying to wrestle with his hands as he worked, sighing in relief when the ferret accepted the toy and squealed with joy.

Akaashi was heading outside to find a more secluded area to eat his homemade bento-box at when Kurosawa was running down the hall towards him, earning some curious glances. "Akaashi-senpai!" He exclaimed, stopping in front of him. Keiji gave him a moment to catch his breath before asking what was wrong. "A lot of the girls kept pestering me about you! They kept asking if you had a girlfriend, if you were single, if you were looking for someone at the moment or not- it was getting overwhelming!" The other huffed out in one breath, deflating a little. Akaashi sighed and just gave him a few pats on the head. "Just tell them I'm gay. It'll get them to stop pestering you." He replied quietly, receiving a surprised look in return. "Are you sure?? You never really told anyone about that intentionally! You always tried hiding it." The smaller pouted, receiving a reassuring pat on the back.

"Well, it won't necessarily be a lie, tho. I'll have to come to terms with it anyway." He gave a small, reassuring smile before heading outside. Unbeknownst to him, a bystander heard while walking by, smirking evilly to themselves.

He figured out a shortcut to a nice place outside pretty fast when he was on that tour. He just had to go down the hall to the left of his classroom door, turn right past the gym, and take a left and head straight from there. Those directions led to a nice tree on a smaller than average, grassy hill that he saw through the windowed doors. Akaashi was walking right by the gym doors when it was suddenly thrown open, almost hitting him on the face.

"Hey, Konoha! Why are you so, I don't know, stupid?" A familiar voice seemed to snap in amusement. "What!? I'm not stupid! You're stupider!! I only got a 65 on that test because I studied at the last minute!" Another familiar voice. "Oh shut up, you two! You're both stupid! Now help me fill these damn water bottles of yours if you want to continue practicing." It was a female voice now. He heard another faint voice further in the gym saying, "They're at it again. How long will it take until they just shut up?" The rest was now muffled because now that female voice seemed to notice he was there behind the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you- wait, hold on a minute! Aren't you that Akaashi guy from yesterday?? It is you! There's your ferret!" Yukie smiled, scratching Olivers' head a bit, cooing at the critter. "You should've said you were going to this school!" Konoha smiled, stepping forward to also pet the ferret with Komi right beside him. "Yeah! What year are you in, anyway?" He asked. Akaashi was suddenly overwhelmed with the questions and closeness of the three, taking a deep breath before responding to their questions calmly. Well- one of the questions, actually.

"I'm a second year." He responded blandly, subtly taking a step back when they all stood straight up. "You're a second year? I thought you'd be a third-year like us, but at least you're one of our kouhai's now!" Konoha smiled cheerily. "One of our volleyball first years said there was this new 'senpai' the female first years were drooling about because one of his classmates showed up with em'. Was it you?" Komi asked, his head tilting slightly to the side in curiosity.

"Yes. I remember the female first years, uh, swooning when I smiled a little to Kurosawa-kun." He blushed slightly at the memory. Yukie gave him a gentle jab to the side that he may or may not have flinched at, laughing loudly at his statement. "Well, I can't blame em'. You're one pretty dude." She smiled widely. "Are you going to have lunch? I would join you but I have to deal with these idiots and water bottles." She snorted when the other two whined and complained to her insult. "Oh! Do you play any sports? I'm the manager of the males' volleyball club where these two are joined in. If you play the sport, what position do you usually play?" The shorter female seemed to beam, pretty excited, ,and eager to have him on the team. Akaashi only nodded.

"I used to play setter in middle school and was the back-up for my old high schools' setter." He nodded, internally smiling when Yukie seemed to burst with joy, and her eyes twinkling like an anime girl being praised by their crush. "I'd rather have lunch now, tho, so I can't join you in your practice right now, but I can at the end of the day." He informed, already heading down the hallway to get to the small hill mentioned from the little tour he had with Kurosawa. He heard a string of 'okay's and 'cya's as he walked along.

It took a few minutes but he was now leaning against the tree with his bento on his lap, Oliver right next to him on the grass with his food pellets, water, and toys out for him. The boy and ferret both ate their food side by side with Akaashi smiling softly as he watched Oliver go from eating the pelletsto drinking his water to playing mindlessly with his toys.  
It was another few minutes until he heard an unfamiliar voice say something pretty rude and hurtful to Akaashi. "What kind of weird faggot are you? Why do you have that stupid weasel crawling around your useless body?" It hit home when the older male said he was useless, his mind instantly betraying him. His thoughts were instantly pulled back to those nights. Those godawful nights when he was with his parents still.

In his head he kept asking himself 'why' and kept being self-deprecating.

_'Why coudn't I be normal?'_

_'Why did they start hating me?'_

_'Was it because I was gay? Because I came out?'_

_'Why couldn't I stay quiet?'_

_'I really am useless, aren't I?'_

And on, and on, and on his thoughts went as the clear images of being abused and pained and being thrown derogatory words and sentences that made him so close to believing that he truly was worthless. The clear images of his parents face flushed red with anger and disappointment just because he liked boys. Was there really something wrong with that? Probably if it caused him to be hurt physically, emotionally, and mentally and any way possible, really, by his own parents. Wait- no- but his lawyer and therapist said that it was fine to be gay? That people were coming to terms with it bit by bit? Who knows! All he can think about right now is the hurtful sentences his mother yelled at him while his father cursed and hit him.

Oh God

Why can't he stop?

Are they still here??

He can practically _feel_ their painful punches and slaps.

He can practically _hear_ their hurtful sentences and words.

He can practically _smell_ their alcohol and smoke infused breaths.

He can practically _taste_ the irony taste of blood in his mouth from a split lip.

He can practically _see_ their eyes ablaze with hatred and malice.

_' Why couldn't it stay with the feeling of warm hugs? The sound of laughing? The smell of fresh mint tea? The taste of that new homemade milk bread recipe? The sight of my parents loving gaze?'_

_'Why couldn't it stay?'_

_'Why?'_

It seems that Akaashi had dragged himself into a panic attack from the sudden rush of memories from two months earlier. His bento was long forgotten on the ground next to him when he settled to watch Oliver play around. His body was hunched and curled into a ball as he rocked back and forth with his forehead pressed against his knees. The older male must have left when he noticed something going wrong because he was no longer there.

Fucking prick.

Oliver must have sensed his distress because he was now rubbing against Akaashi's side and arm, trying to calm him with his presence. The critter squealed with worry, climbing over the boy's arm and poking his face with his nose as if coaxing him from the bad thoughts.

It took a long while but Akaashi was calm now- er- semi-calm now, rubbing away the tears from his eyes, calming his erratic heartbeat with a few deep breaths.

Today wasn't going decent.

That's for sure.

.

Akaashi took another few deep breaths and calmed his heart. He was fine. For now. For now, he was. It'll be okay for the rest of the day, hopefully. Oliver laid himself down on Keiji's lap, rolling and stretching on his thighs as if trying to distract him from his panic attack.

He smiled.

He sure hoped it'll be okay for the rest of the day.

_'. . .'_

_'Oh shit, my eyes are probably puffy-'_

\---

I don't know what to put here so please excuse yet another time skip (つ﹏<。)

\---

"Akaashi-senpai!" A voice called for him. It was the end of the day and he was planning on finding the volleyball coach and ask if he could tryout for the club and possibly join. Volleyball was kind of like. . . an outlet for Akaashi. He may not have the satisfaction of slamming a ball past some blockers because he was a setter, but he liked his position a lot more than a simple spiker. He always liked being a setter because then the voices in his head stop saying he's useless when he helps the ace or any other spiker get a ball past the blockers and score a point. The voices come back all the same when the spiker misses the shot, blocked or received. But twice as bad. Back to someone calling his name. It came from behind him and it was clear he didn't know who it was due to the slight look of confusion on his face.

It sounds like a few voices now that he thinks about it. . . and he could hear more than one person walking/running behind him.

So he turned around.

"Akaashi-senpai! Hi!" "Hey, Akaashi-senpai!" "Akaashi-senpai!!"

You see. . . Akaashi wasn't very good on handling girls. . . they were clearly first year's, and his mind told him that he vaguely remembers the faces from earlier that morning when he stopped at Kurosawa's class. What a great fucking time, right? His eyes were less puffy from his crying during lunch and was barely visible now unless you were right at his face. Good thing on that, he supposed.

"Uhm- yes?" He asked questionably, raising an eyebrow slightly at the small bunch of girls. There were 3-5. He couldn't tell with them gently pushing each other out the way to talk to him first. One of the girls seemed more confident, simply walking around the bustling group and tugging on his arm. He turned his head to the girl to see her grinning up at him.

"You're really pretty and attractive, Akaashi-senpai! Kurosawa-san said you're a second year, is that true?" She asked, making the others stop and agree to the question. He simply nodded. "Oh! He kept telling us that you were a homosexual during lunch, but we didn't believe him!" Another girl piped up, "Yeah! He probably just didn't want us bothering him, though, cuz that clearly can't be true." Another and another and another. They kept agreeing to each other and kept asking more questions and it just started making him overwhelmed. He counted backwards from ten, blocking out their voices to calm himself better.

"I am." He finally spoke up, making them stop bickering and asking questions and giving him a few questionable glances. "A homosexual, I mean. I'm gay." He concluded, watching as all of their faces fell. One girl almost shrieked, but another clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her. "Oh- uh- really?" The girl he mentally dubbed as 'the confident one' asked, still not believing it. He just nodded. Keep in mind, Oliver was just on Akaashi's shoulder, not knowing what the fuck was going on.

"I'll be going now." He quietly said, turning and walking away towards the gym as fast as he could without looking like he was desperate to get out of that situation. Which he was. But he was also being careful for Oliver and didn't go too fast that he could accidentally slip and fall off his shoulder.

After a minute or two, he was at the gym, peeking a glance inside. He recognised Konoha, Komi, Yukie and obviously didn't know the rest. From his peeping place he saw Yukie walk over to who he thought was the coach, and if he hadn't been sure about that, he was pretty sure now when he scolded a slightly guilty Konoha and Komi who yelled out 'yes coach!' when the man ordered them to do something. And by the looks of it, he probably sent them over to do some laps as they started to run around the outline of the gym floor.

Akaashi took a deep breathe in, calming down to the familiar sound of volleyballs slamming onto the ground and the squeaks of shoes against the shiny wood floor. Having a small surge of confidence, he took a step onto the gym floor.

. . .

'Holy shi-'


	3. 'Oliver, sweetie, it's me, Keiji'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Akaashi!!"
> 
> "Damnit Bokuto!!"
> 
> "Hey! I didn't know it'd hit him!!"
> 
> "Who left the door open!??"
> 
> "Holy shit, he's bleeding-"
> 
> "Fuck fuck fuck!"
> 
> "Wait!! Where's his ferret??"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote most of this when I was supposed to be asleep, and I have no regrets!
> 
> Fuck the norm, I'll sleep when I'm dead or pass out from sleep deprivation.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story so far! ^^ please enjoy this chapter aswell. :DD

"Akaashi!!"

"Damnit Bokuto!!"

"Hey! I didn't know it'd hit him!!"

"Who left the door open!??"

"Holy shit, he's bleeding-"

"Fuck fuck fuck!"

"Wait!! Where's his ferret??"

"Holy fuck!! Where's Oliver!!??"

"Wait, ferret!??"

"If he has a fucking animal following him around it must be for something important!"

"Where's the damn animal!??"

"Everyone stop swearing like a sailor!!"

"Sorry coach!!"

"You messed with his beautiful face, Bokuto!"

"Stop simping over this kid, Yukie!!"

"I'm not simping! I'm just stating facts!!"

"He is pretty. . ."

"See! Konoha agrees!"

_'So many voices. . .'_

It took a moment but he was pretty conscious now. And with being conscious, he felt pain flare up from his nose to around his face. He groaned quietly, hearing someone say something that sounded vaguely like 'Good, you didn't kill him, Bokuto.'.

"Konoha, Komi, Yukie! You three seem to know him, take him to the nurse." An older more gruff voice ordered, and soon he was being lifted up and taken away. The last thing he remembers is opening his eyes a bit and seeing people frantically running around the gym before he passed out.

.

"Akaashi-kun? Can you hear me well?"

A small groan left his mouth and he was opening his eyes slowly. "Hurts. . ." he mumbled, hearing a few sighs. "Well, you seem to be awake. Akaashi-kun, you got hit in the face by a volleyball, do you remember that?" A hesitant nod. "Okay, good. By being hit in the face by the volleyball, you fell on the floor and hit your head pretty badly, but you didn't bleed from your head. Although you did bleed from the nose quite a bit." The nurse relayed the information, giving him soothing pats on the head. "Your nose stopped bleeding a bit ago, and luckily your nose didn't break." She continued, getting an ice pack from a drawer and shaking it until it was cold. She placed it in his hands. "Put it against the back of your head for a while, it'll deal with the upcoming bruise." He did as told, opening his eyes fully to see that there was some sort of little bandage thing on his nose. It was white and his eyes were a little crossed as he stared at it.

The nurse looked amused by this.

"It's medical tape, hun. I put it on your nose to keep it from, I guess, moving too much. If you move it too much, there's a possible chance you'll bleed again, so be careful about that." He nodded, turning his head to see three people he recognized. That honestly scared him a bit and he flinched back when he noticed them. They frowned a little at that but still looked happy that he was awake. "Akaashi!! You're okay, that's good!" Yukie cheered promptly getting shushed by the nurse. "When you fell, we heard something pop in your bag and we saw this container filled with pellets. We figured it was Olivers' food, and we kinda emptied your bag and cleaned out the pellets back into the container." Konoha smiled sheepishly.

"Oliver. . . " he thought for a moment and realized that his furry child wasn't on his shoulder or lap or _anywhere_. His heart rate spiked up and his eyes widened in alarm. "Where's Oliver?" He asked frantically, the ice pack forgotten in his lap. They all looked away, not daring to meet his eyes. "Where's Oliver?" He asked again, getting more panicky. The three noticed this. "Well, you see- when you fell, we guessed that Oliver got scared or something and ran off." Yukie scratched her chin nervously. "We didn't notice until I pointed it out, and we figured he must've ran off to hide. No one on the team can find him, but maybe if you were there, he'll come out?" Komi hesitantly asked at the end, looking guilty although it wasn't his fault Akaashi got hit in the face by a volleyball.

"Yeah," Akaashi mumbled after a moment of utter silence. "Yeah, okay. We'll see if he'll come out if I was there." He nodded, slipping his legs off the bed and getting off of it. He noticed his blazer was off and he simply took it off from where it hung on a chair, folding it neatly over an arm before slipping on his backpack with the other. And he was off with three of his upperclassmen trailing after him like baby ducks to the mother duck.

Another two minutes or so of walking he made it to the gym, peering inside to make sure he won't get hit in the face again before stepping in. The room stilled and all eyes were on him. It made him nervous and his skin prick with anxiety, but his face didn't show it. He looked down to avoid the gazes, setting his backpack by the gym door and resting his blazer on top of it. His tie was a little loose, and he figured the nurse did that so he didn't choke or something while unconscious.

He stepped a few more feet into the room and sat on the floor, crossing his legs. Tapping his knee a few times with his hand he called out Oliver's name, hoping the critter will come out when it recognizes his voice. "Oliver, sweetie, it's me, Keiji. Please come out." He called out softly and sweetly, his eyes scanning the room, never meeting anyone's gaze. A moment later, the critter finally came out, scampering over to Akaashi, jumping into his lap and crawling over his torso and settling itself into his hair. "Ah, there you are." He smiled softly, reaching a hand up to scratch the ferrets head. His eyes squinted slightly as he smiled a tiny smile, lifting the other hand to grab Oliver. The animal squealed as it was set on top of the teen's lap, and Akaashi used a hand to calm his now slightly ruffled hair.

"Come on, Oli, we have to get back to the orphanage." He mumbled, holding Oliver up with one hand as he used the other to help himself up. He was bending down to retrieve his blazer and backpack when a voice gained his attention, making him turn around. "Akaashi, was it? I'm sorry you got hit in the face and all, but why did you come in here anyway, if I may ask?" It was the coach. He took a moment to remember why exactly he came in, but Oliver crawled up onto his shoulder again and pressed his nose against Akaashi's ear, making him giggle a little. He used a hand to push away the attacker of his listening hole and he made eye contact with the coach before feeling too nervous, deciding to look at his own hands, fiddling with his fingers in a nervous tic.

"I was going to ask if I could join the volleyball club. I used to play in middle school and at my old high school, so I kinda just thought I could also do it here." He spoke up, his eyes staying on his fingers as he continued to fiddle with them. It was silent for a moment, but then the coach spoke up.

"You can try out tomorrow, rest for today. You got hit by a volleyball, take care of your head and nose." He dismissed, turning back to the team he coached, ushering them back to practice because they had 'twenty minutes left'. Yuki bounced up to him excitedly. "So you did decide to join! We'll see how good you'll do, but like coach said, rest up! Take care of that head and nose of yours, okay?" She smiled grabbing his blazer and backpack from the ground and handing it to him. "See you tomorrow, okay?" She gave him a warm smile before ushering him out of the gym.

As he walked through the halls of the now pretty abandoned high school, he concluded that he must've been passed out for half an hour or so if volleyball practice lasted an hour here as it did for his other school. As he walked through the halls to get through the front door to get to the exit gate, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He flinched.

"Ah, here's the fag again." A vaguely familiar voice hummed and he didn't know where he knew the voice from. Until he remembered.

_'He called me useless.'_

Akaashi shrugged off the hand on his shoulder, and continued walking, deciding that if he ignored the guy, he'd probably go away.

He was wrong.

"Aw, why're you running away? Did I scare you? What a shame you aren't a chick, tho, coz' then you'll actually be _worth_ something, even if that something was your body." The older boy cackled, flicking the back of the younger's head, obviously making him flinch away.

"That hurt. . ." it was mumbled.

"Ah, who cares? It's just _you_. Nothing to care about. You're nothing but a useless fag with a stupid weasel crawling over you." He cackled again, giving Akaashi the vague thought of a witch.

_'and something else that rhymes with witch and that's bi-'_

"Oliver is not a weasel, he's a ferret. I don't blame you for not realizing it, you're small brain wouldn't even know the difference between a Buffalo and a Bison."

"And you know? One's probably shorter or something." The guy rolled his eyes, pushing Akaashi a little.

"No. I told you your tiny brain can't tell the difference." He spat back, walking a little faster now. He was almost to the front door, just had to go past this hallway, but bad luck and shit was being a bitch so of course, he couldn't make it there in time before anything bad happens. Again. The third-year had grabbed him by the shoulder again, but harder this time, pulling him to a stop and spinning him around to face him.

"Hey now, what was that? I have a small brain? Are you calling me stupid?" His face was coloring into something like a scarlet or rose color, probably out of anger if his scowl had anything to do with it. "That's exactly right." And _pow_ he went, getting punched in the face.

_'shit, why couldn't I keep my mouth shut??'_

The third-year started to drag Akaashi to the nearest bathroom, which wasn't too far, just a few more steps, throwing him onto the cold tiled floor. A _pop!_ sound was heard and he knew Oliver's food container popped open again from his backpack. "You think you can just call me stupid right in my face? Huh?" A kick to the leg. "You're just some stupid little gay bitch. " a kick to the stomach. "Learn your place." A punch to the face. His nose started to bleed again, but it wasn't broken, luckily. The bathroom door slammed closed and Akaashi noticed Oliver wasn't with him. _Again_.

"O-Oliver?" Nothing. "Oliver, s-sweetie, please. . ." Nothing again. He started to cry. "Why c-couldn't I just-just keep my mouth sh-shut?" He cried, curling himself into a ball. _'God, I'm so weak. I really am just useless, aren't I?'_.

At this point he figured Oliver jumped off him when he was thrown inside, having run off now.

_'Fuck. . .'_

Akaashi started to sob quietly, dragging himself under one of the sinks and into a corner. His backpack was in the middle of the floor where he accidentally left it, one of Oliver's toys sticking out. That made him cry louder and harder, tiny streams of his salty tears rolling down his cheeks. He kept muttering 'stupid, stupid, stupid' under his breath over and over again as he gently hit his head against the wall, tugging at his locks of black hair with his trembling hands.  
He didn't know how long it was but he heard footsteps coming closer to the bathroom and a booming voice chittering happily.

_"Oh, how's it goin' little fella? Weren't you that one guy's pet or something? Did you run off again? I'll help ya find em'! Lemme just go to the bathroom first, I think all that water's kicking in."_

He panicked.

No one was supposed to see him so vulnerable! He's supposed to be this cold, stoic guy who shows little to no emotion! This is bad, oh fuck, the footsteps are coming closer and- _click!_ the door opened and he saw a pretty muscular guy with black and white hair sticking up, reminding him of a great horned owl.

The guy froze immediately at the sight of him, Oliver scrambling off his muscled arm and to Akaashi. Even though his eyes were rimmed red from crying, he smiled at Oliver, hugging him but being careful with the blood that had dribbled across his lips and down his chin that he was too busy crying to deal with. He was sure there was a purple bruise already visible on his left cheek.

"Oh _shit_ , are you okay??" The big bumbly guy had snapped out of it, dropping his bag and going over to Akaashi who was _still_ under the sink, kneeling beside him. "You're bleeding. . ." the guy frowned, ". . . and you have a bruise. . ." he mumbled, gently caressing the bruise, concern knitted into his facial features.

"Oh, really? I didn't notice." Akaashi mumbled in response, moving his face away from the hand. The guy frowned even more at that. "Hey! This isn't time for sarcasm!" "I'm surprised you know what that word means," Keiji mumbled again, a small smile on his face. "I'm not stupid!" The burly third-year pouted, standing up. "Who did that to you? I thought you left by now. . ." he asked, getting some napkins and wetting them under the sink. He wrung it before kneeling back down to Akaashi.

"It was. . . nobody. . ." he turned his head away, petting Oliver who was in his arms like a baby. "Yeah, _sure_." The stranger huffed, reaching a hand out to Akaashi's unbruised cheek, turning his face to look at the blood that was either dried on his chin and lips or not quite dried. Akaashi couldn't stop his brain from thinking about those romantic movies from the action the guy did.

"Do you remember how the person looks? I could report em' to the principal for you." He hummed, wiping off the blood with the damp napkins he had in hand, being careful with the bruise. "I said it was nobody, I'm fine." Akaashi sighed, gently grabbing the stranger's wrist to stop from continuing with cleaning the blood. He paused and look at Keiji, hazel eyes meeting blue. "You cried. I can see the dried tears. If you were fine you would've cleaned yourself up by now., " the third-year sighed, dropping his hands from where they were on the second-years cheeks, standing back up. "Just tell me who it is. I could help." He assured, stepping over to the trashcan to throw out the red-stained napkins, stepping away to get some more to wet and wring.

"I said I'm fine, please stop caring for me." Akaashi sounded a little irritated, slightly annoyed at how the guy quickly started to care about him even though they don't know each other. "If I don't, who will? Not to be rude, but you already seem like the kind of person who doesn't care about their own well-being. . . so let me help." He smiled, wiping away the rest of the blood and dried tears with some more damp napkins.

Akaashi stared at the friendly and kind smile plastered on the others' face, then stared at the hazel eyes that had crinkled at the edges as he smiled. He started to cry again, but it was fewer tears now. _'how can someone be so nice to me?'_ he thought, his hands trembling over Oliver. The stranger seemed alarmed at the sudden flow of tears, "oh shit- you okay? Did I make you cry? I'm sorry!! I didn't mean to- was it cuz I touched the brui-" "No! No, no, no, I'm sorry I started crying again, I- I just can't believe someones so nice to me. . . . no one's been so kind before. . ." he sobbed quietly, leaning away to hide his face.

"What!? I can't believe how someone can be so _mean_ to you! You're so pretty!!" The older male froze at his own words, his cheeks flushing a light pink. "I-I mean--" "I guess I am pretty, but that's the only thing people want from me. An attractive lover to brag about. A group of first-years came to me, tried flirting with me, tried to have me for themselves but all looked so _disgusted_ and _surprised_ when I said my preference was men." He mumbled, petting Oliver to calm himself. It didn't work much against his mind torturing him with its thoughts. He sniffled and a new stream of tears came rolled down his face to what he was about to say next, "I guess that's why my parents stopped loving me--" his voice cracked in the middle of his sentence, his body shaking with more violent sobs.

"Oh crap! Uh- it's okay! You're in a better place now, right? It's okay! Everything's okay." The owl looking upperclassmen reassured, gently bringing the boy in a hug, rubbing soothing circles onto his back and shoulders. "It's okay, you have a reason to cry. . ." more and more sweet and soothing words and warm hugs. The older rocked them both back and forth as Akaashi cried, his face pressed against the olders' chest and bicep, tears slowly making the t-shirt damp.

It took a few more minutes and Akaashi managed to calm down and another minute for Akaashi to flush in embarrassment, nudging his senpai away." ah- sorry. I-I didn't mean to- didn't mean to- uh- to cry so much. . ." he sniffed, turning his face away to hide his puffy eyes and flushed tear-stained face.

"It's alright! I don't think I introduced myself, tho, my name's Bokuto Koutaro!" He smiled his big smile, awfully positive despite the situation. Akaashi nodded, "Akaashi Keiji." His response was quiet and mumbled, but not because he was still embarrassed. He was. . . thinking. Where'd he hear that name before? Oh, right! Right after he got hit in the face by the volleyball, he heard someone yelling at a 'Bokuto' for hitting him. 

"Weren't you the one who hit me in the face with a volleyball. . . ?" Bokuto stiffened. A moment later he let out a loud, boisterous, _nervous_ laugh rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Yeaah. . . sorry 'bout that. I feel really bad. You're okay now, tho, right?" The smile softened into something. . . gentle, something warm, something. . . friendly and kind, something genuine, tho the other smiles from him were genuine as well, this one seemed more. . . intimate? Could that be the word described for it? Ah, who the hell knows. Definitely not Akaashi, he doesn't know shit right now. Akaashi gave a nod, looking past the bulky guy and saw that Oliver dragged out his toy and had played with it when he was crying into Bokutos shoulder, figuring that the nice stranger would help out Akaashi instead for the time being.

"Um. . . what time is it?" Akaashi asked quietly, rubbing his eyes with slightly shaky hands. "Oh, shoot, you're right-" Bokuto sat down on the ground with his lega stretched out, probably cuz he was crouching to much and his legs started to ache, taking a phone out of his back pocket and turning it on. "Iiiit's. . . almost 4:30." He huffed out a breath, running a hand through his clearly gelled hair. "Didn't-" Keiji shuffled a bit so his legs were crossed, "-didn't your volleyball practice end a while ago, Bokuto-san?" He asked, a nod in reply. "We should get going so no one thinks we did anything illegal in here, like, I don't know, smoke weed." Akaashi snorted quietly at that, "That's the first thing that comes to mind? Something illegal?" He smiled softly, making his way out form under the sink when the older teen had stood up. "Blame my friend, Kuroo, he almost got caught smoking a blunt he got from his cousin in his schools lockerroom. One of his volleyball teammates, despite the major height difference, ended up kicking the shit out of his legs for it."

"Oh? Is this Kuroo from another school?" He asked, kind of curious that his upperclassmen had a friend in another team, even when they're enemies in the volleyball court against each other. "Hm? Oh, yeah! D'y'know Nekoma? He's in that team!" He smiled excitedly, "Fukurodani hasn't had any planned training camps or practice matches against other schools yet, so I'm kinda excited until we do with Nekoma so I can beat his ass on the court!" He pumped both fists in the air, his hazel colored eyes crinkling from his wide smile. "If you're so determined to beat him in practice matches, Bokuto-san, why don't you make a tally on how many wins you get against him and how many you lose until the school year's over? You could make a bet on who wins the most, the reward being your choice." He hummed, sticking a hand out in front of Oliver, the ferret eagerly crawling up his arm and onto his shoulder. "Oooh! That's such a good idea!! I could get something good out of it! Thanks for the idea, Akaashi!"

Akaashi shrugged, "If I had a friend, i'd do the same." Bokuto looked shell-shocked at his words, and he was about to ask what was wrong but was cut short when the taller of the two exclaimed, " _If_ you had a friend? Don't you have any? Or atleast in the past when you were in middleschool or at your old high school? What about Konoha, Komi and Yukie? They seemed to know you! Yukie even said you were beautiful, which you _are_ , and Konoha agreed! Sarukui said Yukie was simping for you, which she denied, saying that you being pretty was just facts, which is true." He rambled, staring at his kouhai when he finished talking, awaiting a response.

"I was a pretty sarcastic, stoic kid. I'd say sarcastic comments without a second thought, which made others offended or mad at me, so then I stayed as the same stoic kid, just a quiet and distant one." He mumbled in reply, his eyes scanning the inside of his backpack to find out that, yes, he was right, Oliver's food container did pop open when he was thrown on the ground and now the food was scattered and wedged between books and notebooks. Whatever. He wasn't in the mood to clean it at the moment, he'll deal with it when he's back at the orphanage. "Konoha, Komi, and Shirofuko-san don't really count. I just met them at the park yesterday when Konoha-san's dog chased Oliver up a tree." Akaashi looked up to meet Bokutos eyes, who now had his own backpack slung across his shoulder. A very. . . muscly, broad shoulder if Akaashi's gay mind had anything to say about the matter.

"Oh. . . well, um- what position do you play? I'm the ace, wing spiker and outside hitter!!" Bokuto pointed a thumb to his chest, clearly proud of his great value in the volleyball team. "Oh, and I'm the captain too!" He grinned, openinggg the bathroom door open for the two of them while Akaashi tried settling down a suddenly energeticOliver. He hummed in thought, debating whether or not to tell his possible future captain that he was a setter.

"I guess you'll have to wait and see when I try out tomorrow, Bokuto-san."

"Aww, c'mon Akaashiii!! Just tell me!!"

"No thank you."

"You're so mean! I'll be your future captain, y'know! Show me respect, Akaashi."

"I'll show it when it's official."

"Okay, fine. Sounds reasonable."

"Good."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its weird how most of my inspiration for this story comes to me at night when I'm supposed to actually take care of myself and sleep. . .
> 
> Not gonna lie, I'm not very proud on the way I made Akaashi and Bokuto interact, but atleast it's decent.
> 
> Also, sorry for the long wait! My phone cracked a lot and its kinda hard to write the fic, and I don't have any other devices I could write from, heh. ^^’


	4. Not an update, sorry ·-·

I almost had a heart attack, istg, i was panicking like craazyy

I accidentally logged out of my account, , this one, and I forgot my password, coz' **_of course I fucking did_**

So I panicked a whole lot internally, never externally when im around family or where someone can see me

I kept thinking 'oh my God, ohmygodohmygodohmygod-- I won't be able to update this fanfic, I wouldn't be able to coz' I forgot my own fuckin _password_.' 

Anyway, I kept doing that, 'reset password' of giving me an email that'll let me reset and change my password, but it kept saying _'reset password token invalid'_

So I kept doing it over and over until I realized.

' ** _i've been clicking the same email over and over, not clicking on the most recent one to to change the password, im so fucking stupid, kageyama would be calling me a dumbass instead hinata. , even tsukishima would say some rude ass quip with the cutesy Yamaguchi laughing along. I don't want the sweetie laughing at me, anyone but him.'_**

On a more positive, yet weird note: I have that tiktok audio that goes like _"tinky winky, dipsy-yyy~ laa-laa-laa-laa~ and mOtherFUckin' po-o-o~~~"_ stuck in my head, so yeah


	5. 'stahp leavng me on read, assjhole'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hello, Akaashi-san!"
> 
> "Can I pet Oliver, please, Akashi-san?"
> 
> "You missed dinner."
> 
> "Yeah, just heat it up in the microwave."
> 
> The teenagers in the living room didn't look up when Akaashi walked through the front door of the orphanage, only the younger ones paid attention, mainly for Oliver. The bad thing about only kids paying attention to you is that they're so blunt when they notice something wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you liked the previous ones! :)

"Hello, Akaashi-san!"

"Can I pet Oliver, please, Akashi-san?"

"You missed dinner."

"Yeah, just heat it up in the microwave."

The teenagers in the living room didn't look up when Akaashi walked through the front door of the orphanage, only the younger ones paid attention, mainly for Oliver. The bad thing about only kids paying attention to you is that they're so blunt when they notice something wrong.

"Why's there a bruise on your face, Akashi-san?"

"Did you get into a fight?"

"Did you win?"

Now, that. . . that got the attention of the older kids, who's heads swiveled to look at him and he just stood there. He stood there like a deer caught in headlights. Yeah, none of them were really related, they were all orphans or kids whose parents lost custody of, like Akaashi himself, but they did care. They cared when it was needed. They showed that they cared when they saw one of the little boys crying because he scraped his knee, or when one of the teenage girls got frustrated and really stressed about an upcoming biology teat she was studying hours on end for. They always cared in the end by cleaning the little boys scraped knee and putting a band-aid on it, playing with him or getting him distracted so he forgets about the pain; they showed it when they offered to study with the teenage girl or made sure she took some breaks with some water and snacks, putting some lofi mixes on speaker so she could relax.

"Woah, what happened?" It was one of the oldest girls, she always acted like a mom or older sister to the kids she was around with. "Who hurt you, Akaashi?" She asked, moving and turning his head back and forth to inspect the damage. The only visible things were the bruise on his cheek and the medical tape on his nose. . . oh fuck, his nose started to bleed again from all the moving of his head.

"Oh, jeez, someone go get some tissues!" She ordered, pinching Akaashi's nose to stop the blood from flowing down. The quiet thudding of footsteps was what told the two that someone left to fulfill the request. He can feel Momo, the girl, had her eyes scan his face so intently. She knew something was up. She was very good at analyzing, not missing a single thing. There was some dried blood on his uniform shirt and tie, his eyes were puffy and rimmed red from crying, and he just looked so broken. Broken more than he already was, and she saw that.

Momo had the tendency of looking at all the kids younger than her and immediately think, _' I'll take care of them. I'll help mend some of the broken pieces of their heart. I'll make sure they're okay by the end of the day.'_.

And that's what she did.

\---

This next part is centered around Bokuto until I say it's back to Akaashi =3=

\---

Bokuto quite literally plopped onto his slightly messy bed when he walked into his room, the thick covers bunched to one corner of the mattress. His immediate thought was _'Text Kuroo.'_ and tell him about everything that happened that day at volleyball practice, knowing his friend should be at his own home by now.

So he got his phone out.

> **brokuto 4:57 PM**
> 
> hey, hey, heyy _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:57 PM**
> 
> wassup? _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:57 PM**
> 
> brokuto? _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:58 PM**
> 
> bro, what? _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:58 PM**
> 
> did u pass out already?? _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:58 PM**
> 
> nah, your reading this. stahp leavng me on read, asshjole _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:59 PM**
> 
> istg, bo _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:59 PM**
> 
> r u typing? _Read_
> 
> **kubro 4:59 PM**
> 
> i see the dots, tf are u tuyping? Whats so important u need to write a whole ass short story? _Read_
> 
> **kubro 5:00 PM**
> 
> imma just wait _Read_
> 
> **brokuto 5:01 PM**
> 
> u kno wat? im soo glad u askd bro 2day was fuckin crazyy, man. There's this new guy in school, yukie said hes a 2nd year, but hes sooo pretty, and he has a ferret thing, idk what its for, but sarukui said its probably 4 somthn important, but I saw som collar thing around its neck with a tag under its trtlenevk, but all I got 2 saw was esa or smthn like that. he went to the gym after school, but got hit in the fasce by a stray ball I served during practise, and got a bloody nose. Akaashi's ferret, I think its name was Oliver, ran off when he got hit so we all tried looking for it while komi, konoha and yukie dragged him to the nurse. He hame back after a half hour, and his ferret came out when he walked back in the gym. apparently he wanted to join the team, and hes gonna try out tmrw. i wonder what position he plays, he didnt tell me. That reminds me! I found him in a bathroom crying with a bloody nose and bruise on his cheek. someone beat him up, apparently, but he didnt tell me why the guy did, he did mention being gay, so that could be a reason. I helped him out, and talked with him, mybe hes okay now at his place. _Read_
> 
> **kubro 5:03 PM**
> 
> oh shit _Read_
> 
> **kubro 5:03 PM**
> 
> apparently, according 2 kenma, esa stands 4 emotional support animal _Read_
> 
> **brokuto 5:04 PM**
> 
> ur w/ kenma?? 👁👄👁 _Read_
> 
> **kubro 5:04 PM**
> 
> shut _Read_
> 
> **brokuto 5:04 PM**
> 
> just confess already, stupid _Read_
> 
> **kubro 5:05 PM**
> 
> o sht hes readng ovr my sholderndos _Read_
> 
> **brokuto 5:05 PM**
> 
> . . . good luck kubro . . . _Delivered_

Bokuto turned off his phone, wondering what was happening over at his brofriends place. The most likely reason why Kenma was over at Kuroos' was probably coz' volleyball practice tired him out. . . which was every volleyball practice. The owl laughed at the thought, coz' even though the pudding head took more breaks than anyone on Nekoma team, he still got so tired that sometimes Kuroo had to carry him bridal style or on his back

He hoped whatever was happening would turn out well. He knew Kuroo and he knew Kenma, not as much as Kuroo did, obviously, but he knew him well enough and he knew their relationship. The sly cat and the pudding head were friends, yes, but he was the first person Kuroo trusted with his evergrowing crush, and he was sure Kenma felt the same to at least a romantic extent. 90% of his whole body, mind, and soul knew everything would turn out fine, although he kinda thought they'd end up making out. . . or. . . something more. . . . . . l e w d. . . . . . . . .

_'Get your head out of the gutter, Koutaro, although you'd be glad your bro finally managed to get some, just stop with that-'_

And then finally his mind got away from dirty thoughts. . . but it wandered to Akaashi.

Was he alright? Hopefully, he wasn't crying anymore. Emotional support animal. . . ? Ah, Akaashi did mention something about his parents not- uh- loving him anymore. . . well, that's sad, ain't it? All he hoped was that the pretty boy he barely met was alright, that the offender hadn't made another appearance when he couldn't be there to protect the second-year.

He's sounding protective, and he's aware of that, but who wouldn't be protective over someone so fragile? He knows Yukie would definitely mother him, asking him the generic questions like 'How was school?' 'Any quizzes or tests you passed?' 'Anyone you like~?'. The thought of Yukie acting so motherly towards someone made him cringe. The manager was always rough and a little mean to the team, mostly coz' all of them were rowdy, teenage boys and she had to keep them in check when Coach Yamiji or Washio weren't around. So seeing someone he's always seen as tough and intimidating, despite being small compared to the team, acting all sweet and motherly to someone made his insides feel weird, and not in the good way.

\-- 

Now, back to Akaashi!

\--

"Akaashi, look at me."

". . ."

" _Keiji_."

". . ."

"There, that wasn't so hard. Now answer my question. Who hurt you?"

He couldn't answer. Technically, he could, but his mind told him no, that he wasn't that important to burden others with his problems, but there was another voice that told him to go ahead and tell the older girl, that she'll help him fix the problem. So he reluctantly followed the tiny voice's orders and answered.

"A third-year male at school. . ." it was mumbled, but Momo heard him loud and clear.

"Why? Why did he hurt you? When did it happen? Probably after school, right? You were gone for quite a while."

He gave a small, weak nod to that last bit, fiddling with his fingers as she threw out some bloody napkins into the trash from cleaning the blood from his face. His nose stopped bleeding a while ago.

"Uhm. . . I-" His voice cracked, so he cleared his throat before continuing. "I guess he overheard me telling Kurosawa-kun that it was alright to tell the girls bothering him about me that I was- uhhm- that I preferred males." He waited for a nod 'til he continued, "It was after school, yes, but not all of the damage was done by him alone. I got hit in the face by a volleyball and had to go to the nurses' office for around a half-hour, and after that I was leaving but he appeared and called me names. I guess it was my fault, I did provoke-"

" _No._ "

"Wh-what-"

" _No_. Akaashi, it _wasn't_ your fault. It wasn't your fault he called you names, it wasn't your fault that he hurt you. Yes, you probably provoked him, but it wasn't your fault that he went the violent route instead of just keeping a level-headed mind. It was inside the school, right? There must've been cameras in that hall. A camera could've caught his actions. He could get suspended for a while for hurting you."

Keij shook his head, " He beat me up in a bathroom, there are no cameras in there because of privacy."

"Then the camera must've caught him dragging you in there! Did he do anything violent before going into the bathroom? You have to think outside the box!" Momo urged, trying to figure out a way to suspend the damn asshole who dared to hurt the broken, pretty boy she was currently taking care of.

"Now that I think about it, he did punch me before throwing me into the restroom. . ."

"See!! You have to tell a teacher or principal. What's his name? How'd he look?"

"I- uh- I don't know his name. He looked like the common Japanese male? Dark brown hair, I think, it was short, parted in the middle, uhm, a little taller than me, but not by much."

"Do you think you're able to pinpoint him if you had to?"

"I'm not sure. . . I can recognize his voice, tho, what he called me is stuck in my brain, I can't get his voice out of my head. . . and not in the romantic way."

"Obviously." A roll of eyes.

"I think he'll try to pick on me tomorrow, tho, but I met some nice third-years who are in the volleyball team, the club I wanted to join."

"Ooo, really? What are their names? What'd they do that made you think they were nice?"

"Well, their names were Konoha-san, Komi-san, Shirofuku-san and. . ."

"And?"

"Bokuto-san."

"What, no way! You go to Fukurodani, right? I should've known you were going to bump into Bokuto Koutaro!"

"You know him?"

"A lot of people know him! He's one of the top 5 aces in the country!"

"Wait- he's _that_ Bokuto? I-- _I_ should've known that after meeting him! Oh my God he saw me crying, I- oh my fucking God, he _hit_ me with a volleyball- on accident, of course, but _still_."

"Don't go fanboying on me, Akaashi!"

"I'm not _fanboying_."

"You definitely were, and what do you mean he saw you crying?"

"That. . . is a long story."

"I've got time!"

"No. I have to clean out my backpack, anyway, bye Momo-san."

"Just drop the -san already!"

"No."

And he was off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's shorter than usual, but schools been keeping me busy, I just started high school and im already stressed out. I figured that I should post something instead of a longer wait, so, yeah, there it was!


	6. 'Yeah. . . cookies.'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day was. . . calmer? Yeah, calmer. None of the first-year girls tried flirting with him again, they didn't try at all. They just kinda. . . averted their eyes when they saw him. He doesn't know if it's out of embarrassment from trying to ask out a gay guy or if it's because he's a gay guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School's a bitch. Especially high school. Like, im so stressed, i cried two days in a row and had headaches because of that crying.

The next day was. . . calmer? Yeah, calmer. None of the first-year girls tried flirting with him again, they didn't try at all. They just kinda. . . averted their eyes when they saw him. He doesn't know if it's out of embarrassment from trying to ask out a gay guy or if it's because he's a gay guy. Oh well. It's not like he wanted them going up to him.

Akaashi still can't believe that Bokuto, his upperclassman, was _the_ Bokuto that he knew and looked up to in the entirety of his first year of high school and 2nd year before he transferred here. . . and that Bokuto that he admired so much saw him cry, saw him so vulnerable. It was embarrassing. Even thinking about it now, he's embarrassed.

He shook his head to shake away the feeling of embarrassment, hoping the pink on his cheeks would go away already. Some people looked at him weirdly as he walked down the halls, heading to his next class before lunch. Oliver was on his shoulder as he was yesterday, he's not sure if they're still weirded out because of the animal or if it's because of something else . . . some people glared at him, some looked at him in awe and some kinda looked at him with stars in their eyes and flushed cheeks . . . . those, the one with stars in their eyes, were boys . . . it wasn't a lot of them, just a few, but he didn't know why they stared at him like that.

Keiji was about to enter the classroom when someone, more like three someones, grabbed his arms and dragged him away. He was ready to punch someone, but he realized who it was and let them be. "Hey, Akaashi-kun!!" Yukie gave him a grin, " Sup." Konoha held up a peace sign and Komi just nodded with a smile.

"Hello, Shirofuku-san, Konoha-san, and Komi-san. . . I was just going to my class, what's wrong?" He tilted his head. "We just wanted to talk to you about something!" Konoha grinned but his eyes landed on Oliver and he started to coo at the animal. 

"Is it that important that you'll make me skip my class?"

"Yes! We'll bring you back. If we tell your teacher that we had to discuss something with you about the volleyball club, they'd understand! Who's your teacher, anyway?" Komi glanced over his shoulder at Akaashi, raising an eyebrow.

"Suzuki-sensei."

"Oh! Suzuki-sensei loved me, she'd _definitely_ let you off the hook if i said i needed to talk to you!" Yukie pumped her fist in victory, "She wouldn't get mad, so that's cool." Konoha agreed.

"Well, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Okay, I won't sugarcoat this-"

"Then again, when do you ever?"

"Shut up, Komi!" Konoha pouted, giving the libero a small smack to the head, "As i was saying" he glared at Komi for a second, "Are you gay?"

Akaashi stiffened up, although it wasn't quite visible to the three who were awaiting an answer. He was inwardly panicking, yes, but that didn't stop him from saying "Yes." without hesitation due to said panic.

"Okay, good! We just heard the word spreading and we didn't want it to be false because people hated you or something." Yukie sighed out of relief and so did the other two, "I'm Bi, actually, and proud to show it!!" She grinned, giving Akaashi a hard pat on the back, but he flinched and he flinched _hard_.

"Oh, sorry-" she apologized, retracting her hand as if it burned her. "Y'know, I always wondered why you have Oliver, but i know it's probably for a good reason. You're gonna have to tell us eventually on why that is, but you don't have to tell us now."

" Yeah," Konoha agreed, "you may not have to tell us now, but we're gonna have to know at some point. We're gonna have to know whether or not if there are things that trigger you because of that reason so we know what not to do and how to help with possible panic attacks."

"That was awfully responsible of you." Komi piped up.

"Shut up!" The dirty-blonde practically yelled, his face and neck flushing a light red. He turned and stomped away down the hall, away from the three.

Komi cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Aw, don't be so modest honey bunches!" And Konoha just flipped him off over his shoulder, making the shorter one laugh out loud. "Geez, can you stop flirting for a minute?" "Huh, what? Flirting?? No!" Komi's face soon resembled Konoha's, just a darker shade of red. Yukie gave him a look.

"I'm not flirting, okay!?" "You just called him 'honey bunches'!" "It's coz' he looks like it!"

"Uhm. . ." the two stopped bickering and looked over at Keiji, who was scratching Oliver's chin. "I might tell you . . . not now, but when I'm ready." He nodded and Yukie gave him a thumbs up. "Of course! We'll be ready to listen! Now let's go take you back to your class." "Oh my god, i forgot about that." "Of course you did, Komi, the students in class probably heard you yell out 'Honey bunches' to someone" Yukie snickered at his face that was turning an even darker shade of red if that's possible.

"Anyway, let's go, I'll make sure you get excused! Also, before i forget, do you want to sit with the team during lunch? We always do, but you don't have to if you prefer to be alone."

"It's fine, I'd like to sit with you. No offense to Oliver, but he can't respond to me when i start meaningless conversations."

"Well, yeah, he's an animal. . . oh! I've been meaning to ask, isn't Oliver an American name?"

"Uhm, well, yes. I named Oliver that way because Oliver was the name of my online friend from America a year ago . . . before he, uh . . . before he died in. . . an accident . . . it's fine, tho, his parents were able to tell me through his account, apparently they knew about me. . ." he fidgeted. 

"Oh, well, uh, sorry for your loss. . . are you, like, honoring him by naming Oliver that? In a way?"

"In a way, yes."

The rest of the walk to his classroom was a little awkward and quiet. . . it made him uncomfortable. Was it his fault? Was it weird for him to bring up his dead online friend? Well, Komi asked about it, so he explained. . . but he lied. Yes, he did have an online friend from America named Oliver but he didn't die in an accident . . .he died because of . . . suicide.

It had kind of traumatized him, the friend suddenly sending a long message of thanks to Keiji for being by his side, how he was the only one who understood, and why he decided to do it. . . because he just couldn't handle the pressure from school and his family, etc. After that message, he never answered back, but Keiji still talked to the account, saying 'Good morning', 'Goodnight', and talking about his day in hopes that maybe he'll answer back,. . . but it's been over a year, yet he still says 'Good morning' and 'Good night' every day.

He shook his head to free himself from those thoughts that might spiral him into a depressing mindset, focusing on the floor ahead of him, the ferret on his shoulder, and two of his upperclassmen bickering to each other about . . . cookies?

"That was two years ago, geez!"

"And i still don't forgive you for snatching it and eating it right in front of me!"

Yeah. . . cookies.


	7. 'You make it sound like it's a bad thing.'

"Akaashi!"

Yukie was at his classroom door when lunch had begun and everyone had begun to leave the classroom.

"Hello, Shirofuko-san."

"Agh- why are you so formal? Drop the -san!! I don't mind if you say my name without honorifics!" She gave his arm a small pat. "Anyway, I volunteered to come and get you while the others made sure our usual spot wasn't taken."

Keiji nodded in understanding. "Is the whole volleyball team there?" "Yep!" She nodded, walking down the hall with him by her side. "I see you brought a bento box, did you bring food for Oliver?" A nod.

"Good! Our usual lunchtime seating area is a good place to let Oliver roam free and play, so you don't have to worry about him scampering off somewhere."

"That's good."

The rest of their walk was left in comfortable silence as Yukie led the way. Soon enough they arrived at the spot, Keiji seeing Konoha and Komi bantering and teasing each other while Bokuto was being stopped from trying to toss food in the air and catch it with his mouth since that could have ended in a chaotic disaster.

"BOKUTO! You know what happened last time when you tried that!" Yukie shouted, making the two-toned owl dart his eyes at the two of them.

"But I swear I can do it this time! I'm not gonna fail!!"

"Yes you will, Bokuto, you only have perfect aim when you're spiking a volleyball on the court. Even then you mess up sometimes." Konoha piped up, making a few of their teammates laugh and giggle.

"Why do you guys bully me? I'm your captain! You're mean!! Imma tell Kuroo!!"

"Go ahead and tell the oversized cat, what's he gonna do? Bribe their feisty little libero into beating us up?"

"Well, that sounds like a _great_ idea, Konoha, thank you! I'm sure my Kubro has something to bribe Yaku with!"

"W-wait, please no, that Demon-senpai Yaku has a kick that brings anybody to their knees!" Sarukui yelped, "He's taken down more than one guy on his team that's way taller than him! Even third-years from last year-"

The rest of the Fukurodani team nodded frantically in agreement.

"You asked and I shall receive! I'll make sure to have Yaku kick you guys at the first practice match we have with Nekoma this year!"

This 'Demon-senpai' Yaku seemed. . . interesting to Keiji.

" 'recieve'? What makes you think you can do that? You can't even dig up a ball." Komi snorted.

"Hey! For that, I'll ask Kuroo to get Yaku to kick you guys in the dick, too!" Bokuto huffed.

They all winced. Even the girls.

"Thanks a lot, Komi, why d'ya gotta provoke him further?" Konoha groaned, stealing a rice-ball from the libero's bento box.

"Wait- hey! I just said one comment, you did two!" The brunette hissed, taking two sushi rolls from the dirty-blondes own bento.

"Two of mine equals one of yours! I shit-talk Bokuto all the time! But it's out of love- it's out of platonic love!" Konoha practically yelled.

"Why d'ya gotta clarify that it's platonic, huh?" Komi snorted, "Don't be shy, share with the class!"

"Wait! Hold up- No- I did _not_ mean it like that-"

"It's okay, just say you love him, Konoha."

"Yeah, Konoha, just say you love me!" Bokuto grinned, enjoying the teasing against the blonde.

"Konoha, just confess already, geez, we can see your undying love from miles away!" Yukie joined in the teasing, cackling as she watched Konoha's face burn in embarrassment.

"I- I don't even- I like someone else, God damnit, stop-" He yelped, grabbing another riceball from Komi's bento to angrily munch on.

"Aww, you look like a hamster eating that riceball!" Yukie laughed.

Keiji had just been sitting there, enjoying the friendly banter and teasing amongst his new, soon to be team.

Ah, yes, forgot to mention, the lunch spot of theirs is located on the school's rooftop. There was a concrete wall-like fence that prevented anyone from slipping or anything of the like. It was perfect for Oliver to play and roam, he wouldn't have been at risk of slipping through cracks if it was a regular fence.

Speaking of Oliver, he was currently playing with Bokuto who very excitedly asked Akaashi for one of the toys he brought for Oliver. Keiji had just nodded and handed him a feather and jingle bells attached to a stick-like handle by a string.

"Oliver is so cute!" The third-year grinned, practically ignoring his lunch to play with the ferret.

"Bokuto-san, eat your lunch. Oliver needs to eat, too." The blue-eyed beaut explained, gently taking away the toy from Bokuto's hand.

He put it away and ignored the whining coming from his upperclassman. He grabbed the container of pellets from his bag, that he brought with him, and a small bowl to fill for Oliver. He got a separate bowl and poured water from a water bottle for Oliver to drink from, too.

"Fine, I'll eat."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Well, it is right now."

"Eat your lunch, Bokuto-san, you're the ace, right? You have to be healthy and strong, and being healthy includes eating your lunch, so, eat it."

Bokuto had changed from a bit gloomy to energetic and happy, probably due to the fact that Akaashi indirectly called him strong.

The rest good the lunch period was filled with more banter and teasing. Yukie was also badgering Konoha about the crush he mentioned earlier when he said he liked someone else.

It was a good day. Keiji had a small smile on his face throughout their whole lunch period.

He felt happy.

Whole.

Is this what it felt like to have a family? Er- friends?

It felt. . . nice.


End file.
